diff --git a/jmespath/visitor.py b/jmespath/visitor.py
index 15fb1774..5404fda0 100644
--- a/jmespath/visitor.py
+++ b/jmespath/visitor.py
@@ -6,10 +6,24 @@
 
 
 def _equals(x, y):
-    if _is_special_number_case(x, y):
-        return False
-    else:
-        return x == y
+    pending = [(x, y)]
+    while pending:
+        x, y = pending.pop()
+        if _is_special_number_case(x, y):
+            return False
+        elif isinstance(x, list) and isinstance(y, list):
+            if len(x) != len(y):
+                return False
+            if x is not y:
+                pending.extend(zip(reversed(x), reversed(y)))
+        elif isinstance(x, dict) and isinstance(y, dict):
+            if x.keys() != y.keys():
+                return False
+            if x is not y:
+                pending.extend((x[key], y[key]) for key in reversed(x))
+        elif not (x == y):
+            return False
+    return True
 
 
 def _is_special_number_case(x, y):
diff --git a/tests/test_search.py b/tests/test_search.py
index 4832079b..fd3fa664 100644
--- a/tests/test_search.py
+++ b/tests/test_search.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import sys
 import decimal
+import json
 from tests import unittest, OrderedDict
 
 import jmespath
@@ -62,3 +63,52 @@ def test_can_handle_decimals_as_numeric_type(self):
         result = decimal.Decimal('3')
         self.assertEqual(jmespath.search('[?a >= `1`].a', [{'a': result}]),
                          [result])
+
+
+class TestNestedEquality(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_nested_booleans_are_not_numbers(self):
+        for left, right in [
+                ([True], [1]),
+                ([False], [0]),
+                ({'value': True}, {'value': 1}),
+                ({'value': [False]}, {'value': [0]}),
+                ([{'value': True}], [{'value': 1.0}])]:
+            for a, b in [(left, right), (right, left)]:
+                data = {'a': a, 'b': b}
+                self.assertFalse(jmespath.search('a == b', data))
+                self.assertTrue(jmespath.search('a != b', data))
+
+    def test_nested_equality_preserves_json_semantics(self):
+        cases = [
+            ([1], [1.0], True),
+            ({'a': [True, 1]}, {'a': [True, 1.0]}, True),
+            ({'a': 1, 'b': 2}, {'b': 2, 'a': 1}, True),
+            ([1], [1, 2], False),
+            ({'a': None}, {'b': None}, False),
+            ([], {}, False),
+            ([], [], True),
+            ({}, {}, True),
+        ]
+        for a, b, expected in cases:
+            self.assertEqual(jmespath.search('a == b', {'a': a, 'b': b}),
+                             expected)
+
+    def test_filter_rejects_nested_boolean_number_matches(self):
+        data = [{'value': [True]}, {'value': [1]}, {'value': [1.0]}]
+        self.assertEqual(jmespath.search('[?value == `[1]`]', data),
+                         data[1:])
+
+
+    def test_deeply_nested_json_equality(self):
+        for opening, closing in [('[', ']'), ('{"value":', '}')]:
+            for left, right, expected in [
+                    ('1', '1.0', True),
+                    ('true', '1', False),
+                    ('1', '2', False),
+                    ('[]', '{}', False)]:
+                a = json.loads(opening * 600 + left + closing * 600)
+                b = json.loads(opening * 600 + right + closing * 600)
+                self.assertIsNot(a, b)
+                data = {'a': a, 'b': b}
+                self.assertEqual(jmespath.search('a == b', data), expected)
+                self.assertEqual(jmespath.search('a != b', data), not expected)