diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index dab1c1af00..242686236e 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ underscore
 - bug #3830 Can't export custom query because it lowercases table names
 - bug #3829 Enabling query profiling crashes javascript based navigation
 + rfe #879 Reserved word warning
++ Remove the database ordering sub-feature of the only_db directive
 
 3.5.8.0 (not yet released)
 - bug #3828 MariaDB reported as MySQL
diff --git a/doc/config.rst b/doc/config.rst
index f46d0bf059..9223cff823 100644
--- a/doc/config.rst
+++ b/doc/config.rst
@@ -364,20 +364,9 @@ Server connection settings
         
         $cfg['Servers'][$i]['only_db'] = array('db1', 'db2');
 
-    .. versionchanged:: 2.5.5
-        The order inside the array is used for sorting the
-        databases in the navigation panel, so that you can individually
-        arrange your databases. 
-        
-    If you want to have certain databases at the top, but don't care about the
-    others, you do not need to specify all other databases. Use following code
-    instead to tell phpMyAdmin that it should display db3 and db4 on top, and
-    the rest in alphabetic order:
-    
-    .. code-block:: php
-       
-        $cfg['Servers'][$i]['only_db'] = array('db3', 'db4', '\*');
-        
+    .. versionchanged:: 4.0.0 
+        Previous versions permitted to specify the display order of 
+        the database names via this directive. 
 
 .. config:option:: $cfg['Servers'][$i]['hide_db']
 
diff --git a/libraries/List_Database.class.php b/libraries/List_Database.class.php
index 7e6a7d54ef..39b121985b 100644
--- a/libraries/List_Database.class.php
+++ b/libraries/List_Database.class.php
@@ -192,14 +192,6 @@ class PMA_List_Database extends PMA_List
         $items = array();
 
         foreach ($GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['only_db'] as $each_only_db) {
-            if ($each_only_db === '*' && ! $this->show_databases_disabled) {
-                // append all not already listed dbs to the list
-                $items = array_merge(
-                    $items, array_diff($this->retrieve(), $items)
-                );
-                // there can only be one '*', and this can only be last
-                break;
-            }
 
             // check if the db name contains wildcard,
             // thus containing not escaped _ or %
diff --git a/libraries/config.default.php b/libraries/config.default.php
index 8b1ce032e9..5d4e805b16 100644
--- a/libraries/config.default.php
+++ b/libraries/config.default.php
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ $cfg['Servers'][$i]['nopassword'] = false;
 
 /**
  * If set to a db-name, only this db is displayed in navigation panel
- * It may also be an array of db-names, where sorting order is relevant.
+ * It may also be an array of db-names
  *
  * @global string $cfg['Servers'][$i]['only_db']
  */
diff --git a/libraries/config/messages.inc.php b/libraries/config/messages.inc.php
index f8ef95609d..9120f99a43 100644
--- a/libraries/config/messages.inc.php
+++ b/libraries/config/messages.inc.php
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ $strConfigServers_MaxTableUiprefs_desc = __('Limits number of table preferences
 $strConfigServers_MaxTableUiprefs_name = __('Maximal number of table preferences to store');
 $strConfigServers_nopassword_desc = __('Try to connect without password');
 $strConfigServers_nopassword_name = __('Connect without password');
-$strConfigServers_only_db_desc = __('You can use MySQL wildcard characters (% and _), escape them if you want to use their literal instances, i.e. use [kbd]\'my\_db\'[/kbd] and not [kbd]\'my_db\'[/kbd]. Using this option you can sort database list, just enter their names in order and use [kbd]*[/kbd] at the end to show the rest in alphabetical order.');
+$strConfigServers_only_db_desc = __('You can use MySQL wildcard characters (% and _), escape them if you want to use their literal instances, i.e. use [kbd]\'my\_db\'[/kbd] and not [kbd]\'my_db\'[/kbd].');
 $strConfigServers_only_db_name = __('Show only listed databases');
 $strConfigServers_password_desc = __('Leave empty if not using config auth');
 $strConfigServers_password_name = __('Password for config auth');
diff --git a/libraries/navigation/Nodes/Node.class.php b/libraries/navigation/Nodes/Node.class.php
index a0ecbd8b68..a1f0e3b442 100644
--- a/libraries/navigation/Nodes/Node.class.php
+++ b/libraries/navigation/Nodes/Node.class.php
@@ -433,6 +433,21 @@ class Node
             $whereClause .= "AND `SCHEMA_NAME` NOT REGEXP '"
                 . $GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['hide_db'] . "' ";
         }
+
+        if (! empty($GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['only_db'])) {
+            if (is_string($GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['only_db'])) {
+                $GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['only_db'] = array(
+                    $GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['only_db']
+                );
+            }
+            $whereClause .= "AND (";
+            $subClauses = array();
+            foreach ($GLOBALS['cfg']['Server']['only_db'] as $each_only_db) {
+                $subClauses[] = " `SCHEMA_NAME` LIKE '"
+                    . $each_only_db . "' ";
+            }
+            $whereClause .= implode("OR", $subClauses) . ")";
+        }
         return $whereClause;
     }