diff --git a/commands_test.go b/commands_test.go
index 33aeb4a..9c07897 100644
--- a/commands_test.go
+++ b/commands_test.go
@@ -1077,7 +1077,7 @@ func TestWriteCmd_SplatMapEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	test.AssertResult(t, expectedOutput, result.Output)
 }
 
-func TestDeleteYaml(t *testing.T) {
+func TestDeleteYamlCmd(t *testing.T) {
 	content := `a: 2
 b:
   c: things
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go b/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
index 84bac23..364985e 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
@@ -82,13 +82,12 @@ func (n *navigator) recurseMap(value *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pat
 
 		log.Debug("should I traverse? %v", head)
 		DebugNode(value)
-		newPath := append(pathStack, contents[indexInMap].Value)
-
-		if n.navigationSettings.ShouldTraverse(contents[indexInMap+1], head, tail, newPath) == true {
+		newPathStack := append(pathStack, contents[indexInMap].Value)
+		if n.navigationSettings.ShouldTraverse(contents[indexInMap+1], head, tail, newPathStack, contents[indexInMap].Value) == true {
 			log.Debug("yep!")
 			traversedEntry = true
 			contents[indexInMap+1] = n.getOrReplace(contents[indexInMap+1], guessKind(tail, contents[indexInMap+1].Kind))
-			return n.doTraverse(contents[indexInMap+1], head, tail, newPath)
+			return n.doTraverse(contents[indexInMap+1], head, tail, newPathStack)
 		} else {
 			log.Debug("nope not traversing")
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_settings.go b/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_settings.go
index dd2aabf..b4392b4 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_settings.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_settings.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func DeleteNavigationSettings(lastBit string) NavigationSettings {
+	parser := NewPathParser()
 	return &NavigationSettingsImpl{
 		visitedNodes: []*VisitedNode{},
 		followAlias: func(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) bool {
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ func DeleteNavigationSettings(lastBit string) NavigationSettings {
 			return true
 		},
 		visit: func(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) error {
-			log.Debug("need to find %v in here", lastBit)
+			log.Debug("need to find and delete %v in here", lastBit)
 			DebugNode(node)
 			if node.Kind == yaml.SequenceNode {
 				newContent, errorDeleting := deleteFromArray(node.Content, lastBit)
@@ -25,31 +26,33 @@ func DeleteNavigationSettings(lastBit string) NavigationSettings {
 				}
 				node.Content = newContent
 			} else if node.Kind == yaml.MappingNode {
-				// need to delete in reverse - otherwise the matching indexes
-				// become incorrect.
-				// matchingIndices := make([]int, 0)
-				// _, errorVisiting := n.visitMatchingEntries(node, lastBit, []string{}, pathStack, func(matchingNode []*yaml.Node, indexInMap int) error {
-				// 	matchingIndices = append(matchingIndices, indexInMap)
-				// 	log.Debug("matchingIndices %v", indexInMap)
-				// 	return nil
-				// })
-				// log.Debug("delete matching indices now")
-				// log.Debug("%v", matchingIndices)
-				// if errorVisiting != nil {
-				// 	return errorVisiting
-				// }
-				// for i := len(matchingIndices) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
-				// 	indexToDelete := matchingIndices[i]
-				// 	log.Debug("deleting index %v, %v", indexToDelete, node.Content[indexToDelete].Value)
-				// 	node.Content = append(node.Content[:indexToDelete], node.Content[indexToDelete+2:]...)
-				// }
+				node.Content = deleteFromMap(parser, node.Content, pathStack, lastBit)
 			}
 			return nil
 		},
 	}
 }
+func deleteFromMap(pathParser PathParser, contents []*yaml.Node, pathStack []interface{}, lastBit string) []*yaml.Node {
+	newContents := make([]*yaml.Node, 0)
+	for index := 0; index < len(contents); index = index + 2 {
+		keyNode := contents[index]
+		valueNode := contents[index+1]
+		if pathParser.MatchesNextPathElement(keyNode, lastBit, []string{}, pathStack, keyNode.Value) == false {
+			log.Debug("adding node %v", keyNode.Value)
+			newContents = append(newContents, keyNode, valueNode)
+		} else {
+			log.Debug("skipping node %v", keyNode.Value)
+		}
+	}
+	return newContents
+}
 
 func deleteFromArray(content []*yaml.Node, lastBit string) ([]*yaml.Node, error) {
+
+	if lastBit == "*" {
+		return make([]*yaml.Node, 0), nil
+	}
+
 	var index, err = strconv.ParseInt(lastBit, 10, 64) // nolint
 	if err != nil {
 		return content, err
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/navigation_settings.go b/pkg/yqlib/navigation_settings.go
index 72d1ae3..f2da767 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/navigation_settings.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/navigation_settings.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package yqlib
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"strings"
 
 	yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 )
@@ -18,7 +17,7 @@ type NavigationSettings interface {
 	FollowAlias(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) bool
 	AutoCreateMap(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) bool
 	Visit(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) error
-	ShouldTraverse(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) bool
+	ShouldTraverse(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}, lastBit string) bool
 	GetVisitedNodes() []*VisitedNode
 }
 
@@ -29,16 +28,6 @@ type NavigationSettingsImpl struct {
 	visitedNodes  []*VisitedNode
 }
 
-func matches(node *yaml.Node, head string) bool {
-	var prefixMatch = strings.TrimSuffix(head, "*")
-	if prefixMatch != head {
-		log.Debug("prefix match, %v", strings.HasPrefix(node.Value, prefixMatch))
-		return strings.HasPrefix(node.Value, prefixMatch)
-	}
-	log.Debug("equals match, %v", node.Value == head)
-	return node.Value == head
-}
-
 func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) GetVisitedNodes() []*VisitedNode {
 	return ns.visitedNodes
 }
@@ -51,16 +40,7 @@ func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) AutoCreateMap(node *yaml.Node, head string, ta
 	return ns.autoCreateMap(node, head, tail, pathStack)
 }
 
-func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) matchesNextPath(path string, candidate string) bool {
-	var prefixMatch = strings.TrimSuffix(path, "*")
-	if prefixMatch != path {
-		log.Debug("prefix match, %v", strings.HasPrefix(candidate, prefixMatch))
-		return strings.HasPrefix(candidate, prefixMatch)
-	}
-	return candidate == path
-}
-
-func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) ShouldTraverse(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) bool {
+func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) ShouldTraverse(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}, lastBit string) bool {
 	// we should traverse aliases (if enabled), but not visit them :/
 	if len(pathStack) == 0 {
 		return true
@@ -70,9 +50,10 @@ func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) ShouldTraverse(node *yaml.Node, head string, t
 		return false
 	}
 
-	lastBit := fmt.Sprintf("%v", pathStack[len(pathStack)-1])
+	parser := NewPathParser()
 
-	return (lastBit == "<<" && ns.FollowAlias(node, head, tail, pathStack)) || (lastBit != "<<" && ns.matchesNextPath(head, lastBit))
+	return (lastBit == "<<" && ns.FollowAlias(node, head, tail, pathStack)) || (lastBit != "<<" &&
+		parser.MatchesNextPathElement(node, head, tail, pathStack, lastBit))
 }
 
 func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) shouldVisit(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}) bool {
@@ -86,8 +67,11 @@ func (ns *NavigationSettingsImpl) shouldVisit(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail
 	}
 
 	lastBit := fmt.Sprintf("%v", pathStack[len(pathStack)-1])
+	parser := NewPathParser()
+
 	// only visit aliases if its an exact match
-	return (lastBit == "<<" && head == "<<") || (lastBit != "<<" && ns.matchesNextPath(head, lastBit))
+	return (lastBit == "<<" && head == "<<") || (lastBit != "<<" &&
+		parser.MatchesNextPathElement(node, head, tail, pathStack, lastBit))
 
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go b/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go
index 8315705..8ae73cc 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go
@@ -1,7 +1,14 @@
 package yqlib
 
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+)
+
 type PathParser interface {
 	ParsePath(path string) []string
+	MatchesNextPathElement(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}, lastBit string) bool
 }
 
 type pathParser struct{}
@@ -10,6 +17,22 @@ func NewPathParser() PathParser {
 	return &pathParser{}
 }
 
+/**
+ * node: node that we may traverse/visit
+ * head: path element expression to match against
+ * tail: remaining path element expressions
+ * pathStack: stack of actual paths we've matched to get to node
+ * lastBit: actual value of this nodes 'key' or index.
+ */
+func (p *pathParser) MatchesNextPathElement(node *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathStack []interface{}, lastBit string) bool {
+	var prefixMatch = strings.TrimSuffix(head, "*")
+	if prefixMatch != head {
+		log.Debug("prefix match, %v", strings.HasPrefix(lastBit, prefixMatch))
+		return strings.HasPrefix(lastBit, prefixMatch)
+	}
+	return lastBit == head
+}
+
 func (p *pathParser) ParsePath(path string) []string {
 	if path == "" {
 		return []string{}