diff --git a/src/tools/clang-vxworks.jam b/src/tools/clang-vxworks.jam
index 1b00572c72..432c3090ec 100644
--- a/src/tools/clang-vxworks.jam
+++ b/src/tools/clang-vxworks.jam
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ rule init ( version ? :  command * : options * )
     linker = [ get-values <linker> : $(options) ] ;
 
     # Determine the version
-    local command-string = $(command:J=" ") ;
+    local command-string = [ common.make-command-string $(command) ] ;
     if $(command)
     {
         version ?= [ MATCH "^([0-9.]+)"
diff --git a/src/tools/darwin.jam b/src/tools/darwin.jam
index 222d00ba8a..01f44f32f4 100644
--- a/src/tools/darwin.jam
+++ b/src/tools/darwin.jam
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ rule init ( version ? : command * : options * : requirement * )
     {
         # - The 'command' variable can have multiple elements. When calling
         #   the SHELL builtin we need a single string.
-        local command-string = $(command:J=" ") ;
+        local command-string = [ common.make-command-string $(command) ] ;
         real-version = [ MATCH "^([0-9.]+)"
             : [ SHELL "$(command-string) -dumpversion" ] ] ;
         version ?= $(real-version) ;
diff --git a/src/tools/embarcadero.jam b/src/tools/embarcadero.jam
index be9d7992e2..a28b329303 100644
--- a/src/tools/embarcadero.jam
+++ b/src/tools/embarcadero.jam
@@ -237,8 +237,7 @@ rule init ( version ? :  command * : options * )
     {
       # Determine the version
       if $(command) {
-        local command-string = "$(command)" ;
-        command-string = $(command-string:J=" ") ;
+        local command-string = [ common.make-command-string $(command) ] ;
         local soutput = [ SHELL "$(command-string) --version" ] ;
         version ?= [ MATCH "Embarcadero C[+][+] ([0-9.]+)" : $(soutput) ] ;
         cl_version = [ MATCH ".+version[ ]+([0-9.]+)" : $(soutput) ] ;
diff --git a/src/tools/pathscale.jam b/src/tools/pathscale.jam
index 2e40a9fa68..b49268eadc 100644
--- a/src/tools/pathscale.jam
+++ b/src/tools/pathscale.jam
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ rule init ( version ? : command * : options * )
     : /opt/ekopath/bin ] ;
 
   # Determine the version
-  local command-string = $(command:J=" ") ;
+  local command-string = [ common.make-command-string $(command) ] ;
   if $(command)
   {
       version ?= [ MATCH "^([0-9.]+)"