diff --git a/config.h.cmake b/config.h.cmake
index 8c0c8ae3094..e101a02e295 100644
--- a/config.h.cmake
+++ b/config.h.cmake
@@ -428,7 +428,13 @@
 #endif
 #define STRUCT_RLIMIT struct rlimit
 
-#cmakedefine WORDS_BIGENDIAN 1
+#ifdef __APPLE__
+  #if __BIG_ENDIAN
+    #define WORDS_BIGENDIAN 1
+  #endif
+#else
+#cmakedefine WORDS_BIGENDIAN 1 
+#endif
 
 /* Define to `__inline__' or `__inline' if that's what the C compiler calls
    it, or to nothing if 'inline' is not supported under any name.  */
diff --git a/configure.cmake b/configure.cmake
index 7037e3eab37..47d0f137d43 100644
--- a/configure.cmake
+++ b/configure.cmake
@@ -702,9 +702,9 @@ int main() {
 #
 INCLUDE(TestBigEndian)
 IF(APPLE)
-  # Can'r run endian test on universal PPC/Intel binaries 
+  # Cannot  run endian test on universal PPC/Intel binaries 
   # would return inconsistent result.
-  SET(WORDS_BIGENDIAN __BIG_ENDIAN CACHE INTERNAL "big endian test")
+  # config.h.cmake includes a special #ifdef for Darwin
 ELSE()
   TEST_BIG_ENDIAN(WORDS_BIGENDIAN)
 ENDIF()