diff --git a/includes/database/database.inc b/includes/database/database.inc
index 24ac3c42cae..22bd8fe2ef5 100644
--- a/includes/database/database.inc
+++ b/includes/database/database.inc
@@ -316,13 +316,6 @@ abstract class DatabaseConnection extends PDO {
    */
   protected $schema = NULL;
 
-  /**
-   * A unique number used for dynamic placeholders.
-   *
-   * It gets reset after every executed query.
-   */
-  protected $nextPlaceholder = 1;
-
   function __construct($dsn, $username, $password, $driver_options = array()) {
     // Because the other methods don't seem to work right.
     $driver_options[PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE] = PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION;
@@ -336,20 +329,6 @@ abstract class DatabaseConnection extends PDO {
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Reset the next placeholder number back to 1.
-   */
-  public function resetPlaceholder() {
-    $this->nextPlaceholder = 1;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Get the current unique placeholder number and increment it.
-   */
-  public function getNextPlaceholder() {
-    return $this->nextPlaceholder++;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Return the default query options for any given query.
    *
@@ -588,9 +567,6 @@ abstract class DatabaseConnection extends PDO {
         $stmt->execute($args, $options);
       }
 
-      // Reset the placeholder numbering.
-      $this->resetPlaceholder();
-
       // Depending on the type of query we may need to return a different value.
       // See DatabaseConnection::defaultOptions() for a description of each value.
       switch ($options['return']) {
diff --git a/includes/database/pgsql/database.inc b/includes/database/pgsql/database.inc
index d3246274d1f..ec68c3a396a 100644
--- a/includes/database/pgsql/database.inc
+++ b/includes/database/pgsql/database.inc
@@ -68,8 +68,6 @@ class DatabaseConnection_pgsql extends DatabaseConnection {
         $stmt = $this->prepareQuery($query, !$modified);
         $stmt->execute($args, $options);
       }
-      // Reset the placeholder numbering.
-      $this->resetPlaceholder();
 
       switch ($options['return']) {
         case Database::RETURN_STATEMENT:
diff --git a/includes/database/query.inc b/includes/database/query.inc
index 6ca869e52a0..b6b47f48d90 100644
--- a/includes/database/query.inc
+++ b/includes/database/query.inc
@@ -1161,6 +1161,13 @@ class DatabaseCondition implements QueryConditionInterface, Countable {
   }
 
   public function compile(DatabaseConnection $connection) {
+    // This value is static, so it will increment across the entire request
+    // rather than just this query. That is OK, because we only need definitive
+    // placeholder names if we're going to use them for _alter hooks, which we
+    // are not. The alter hook would intervene before compilation.
+    // $next_placeholder does not use drupal_static as it increments and should
+    // never be reset during a request.
+    static $next_placeholder = 1;
 
     if ($this->changed) {
 
@@ -1213,7 +1220,7 @@ class DatabaseCondition implements QueryConditionInterface, Countable {
             }
             if ($operator['use_value']) {
               foreach ($condition['value'] as $value) {
-                $placeholder = ':db_condition_placeholder_' . $connection->getNextPlaceholder();
+                $placeholder = ':db_condition_placeholder_' . $next_placeholder++;
                 $arguments[$placeholder] = $value;
                 $placeholders[] = $placeholder;
               }