diff --git a/lib/context.js b/lib/context.js
index bb33d82f..7f3b73ac 100644
--- a/lib/context.js
+++ b/lib/context.js
@@ -1174,12 +1174,12 @@ async function _retrieveContextUrls(input, options) {
   const {documentLoader} = options;
 
   // retrieve all @context URLs in input
-  await retrieve(input, new Set(), documentLoader);
+  await retrieve(input, new Set(), documentLoader, options.base);
 
   return input;
 
   // recursive function that will retrieve all @context URLs in documents
-  async function retrieve(doc, cycles, documentLoader) {
+  async function retrieve(doc, cycles, documentLoader, baseUrl) {
     if(cycles.size > MAX_CONTEXT_URLS) {
       throw new JsonLdError(
         'Maximum number of @context URLs exceeded.',
@@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ async function _retrieveContextUrls(input, options) {
 
     // find all URLs in the given document
     const urls = new Map();
-    _findContextUrls(doc, urls, false, options.base);
+    _findContextUrls(doc, urls, false, baseUrl);
     if(urls.size === 0) {
       return;
     }
@@ -1256,13 +1256,13 @@ async function _retrieveContextUrls(input, options) {
       }
 
       // recurse
-      await retrieve(ctx, _cycles, documentLoader);
+      await retrieve(ctx, _cycles, documentLoader, url);
 
       // store retrieved context w/replaced @context URLs
       urls.set(url, ctx['@context']);
 
       // replace all @context URLs in the document
-      _findContextUrls(doc, urls, true, options.base);
+      _findContextUrls(doc, urls, true, baseUrl);
     }));
   }
 }
diff --git a/lib/documentLoaders/node.js b/lib/documentLoaders/node.js
index a00a332c..e429a0d2 100644
--- a/lib/documentLoaders/node.js
+++ b/lib/documentLoaders/node.js
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ module.exports = ({
     const statusText = http.STATUS_CODES[res.statusCode];
     if(res.statusCode >= 400) {
       throw new JsonLdError(
-        'URL could not be dereferenced: ' + statusText,
+        `URL "${url}" could not be dereferenced: ${statusText}`,
         'jsonld.InvalidUrl', {
           code: 'loading document failed',
           url,