diff --git a/bench/templates/paths.js b/bench/templates/paths.js
index 0a426dd83..d84e06152 100644
--- a/bench/templates/paths.js
+++ b/bench/templates/paths.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 module.exports = {
-  context: { person: { name: "Larry", age: 45 } },
-  handlebars: "{{person.name}}{{person.age}}{{person.foo}}{{animal.age}}",
-  dust: "{person.name}{person.age}{person.foo}{animal.age}",
-  eco: "<%= @person.name %><%= @person.age %><%= @person.foo %><% if @animal: %><%= @animal.age %><% end %>",
-  mustache: "{{person.name}}{{person.age}}{{person.foo}}{{animal.age}}"
+  context: { person: { name: {bar: {baz: "Larry"}}, age: 45 } },
+  handlebars: "{{person.name.bar.baz}}{{person.age}}{{person.foo}}{{animal.age}}",
+  dust: "{person.name.bar.baz}{person.age}{person.foo}{animal.age}",
+  eco: "<%= @person.name.bar.baz %><%= @person.age %><%= @person.foo %><% if @animal: %><%= @animal.age %><% end %>",
+  mustache: "{{person.name.bar.baz}}{{person.age}}{{person.foo}}{{animal.age}}"
 };
diff --git a/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js b/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js
index e5f2280ac..31176c9a3 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js
@@ -275,6 +275,8 @@ Compiler.prototype = {
     } else if (this.options.knownHelpersOnly) {
       throw new Exception("You specified knownHelpersOnly, but used the unknown helper " + name, sexpr);
     } else {
+      id.falsy = true;
+
       this.ID(id);
       this.opcode('invokeHelper', params.length, id.original, sexpr.isRoot);
     }
@@ -298,23 +300,16 @@ Compiler.prototype = {
 
     var name = id.parts[0];
     if (!name) {
+      // Context reference, i.e. `{{foo .}}` or `{{foo ..}}`
       this.opcode('pushContext');
     } else {
-      this.opcode('lookupOnContext', id.parts[0]);
-    }
-
-    for(var i=1, l=id.parts.length; i<l; i++) {
-      this.opcode('lookup', id.parts[i]);
+      this.opcode('lookupOnContext', id.parts, id.falsy);
     }
   },
 
   DATA: function(data) {
     this.options.data = true;
-    this.opcode('lookupData', data.id.depth);
-    var parts = data.id.parts;
-    for(var i=0, l=parts.length; i<l; i++) {
-      this.opcode('lookup', parts[i]);
-    }
+    this.opcode('lookupData', data.id.depth, data.id.parts);
   },
 
   STRING: function(string) {
diff --git a/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js b/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js
index 4b9db9293..09309b5a5 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js
@@ -11,22 +11,10 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
   // PUBLIC API: You can override these methods in a subclass to provide
   // alternative compiled forms for name lookup and buffering semantics
   nameLookup: function(parent, name /* , type*/) {
-    var wrap,
-        ret;
-    if (parent.indexOf('depth') === 0) {
-      wrap = true;
-    }
-
     if (JavaScriptCompiler.isValidJavaScriptVariableName(name)) {
-      ret = parent + "." + name;
-    } else {
-      ret = parent + "['" + name + "']";
-    }
-
-    if (wrap) {
-      return '(' + parent + ' && ' + ret + ')';
+      return parent + "." + name;
     } else {
-      return ret;
+      return parent + "['" + name + "']";
     }
   },
 
@@ -343,20 +331,7 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
   //
   // Set the value of the `lastContext` compiler value to the depth
   getContext: function(depth) {
-    if(this.lastContext !== depth) {
-      this.lastContext = depth;
-    }
-  },
-
-  // [lookupOnContext]
-  //
-  // On stack, before: ...
-  // On stack, after: currentContext[name], ...
-  //
-  // Looks up the value of `name` on the current context and pushes
-  // it onto the stack.
-  lookupOnContext: function(name) {
-    this.push(this.nameLookup('depth' + this.lastContext, name, 'context'));
+    this.lastContext = depth;
   },
 
   // [pushContext]
@@ -369,32 +344,35 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
     this.pushStackLiteral('depth' + this.lastContext);
   },
 
-  // [resolvePossibleLambda]
-  //
-  // On stack, before: value, ...
-  // On stack, after: resolved value, ...
-  //
-  // If the `value` is a lambda, replace it on the stack by
-  // the return value of the lambda
-  resolvePossibleLambda: function() {
-    this.aliases.functionType = '"function"';
-
-    this.replaceStack(function(current) {
-      return "typeof " + current + " === functionType ? " + current + ".apply(depth0) : " + current;
-    });
-  },
-
-  // [lookup]
+  // [lookupOnContext]
   //
-  // On stack, before: value, ...
-  // On stack, after: value[name], ...
+  // On stack, before: ...
+  // On stack, after: currentContext[name], ...
   //
-  // Replace the value on the stack with the result of looking
-  // up `name` on `value`
-  lookup: function(name) {
-    this.replaceStack(function(current) {
-      return current + " == null || " + current + " === false ? " + current + " : " + this.nameLookup(current, name, 'context');
-    });
+  // Looks up the value of `name` on the current context and pushes
+  // it onto the stack.
+  lookupOnContext: function(parts, falsy) {
+    /*jshint -W083 */
+    this.pushContext();
+    if (!parts) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    var len = parts.length;
+    for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+      this.replaceStack(function(current) {
+        var lookup = this.nameLookup(current, parts[i], 'context');
+        // We want to ensure that zero and false are handled properly for the first element
+        // of non-chained elements, if the context (falsy flag) needs to have the special
+        // handling for these values.
+        if (!falsy && !i && len === 1) {
+          return ' != null ? ' + lookup + ' : ' + current;
+        } else {
+          // Otherwise we can use generic falsy handling
+          return ' && ' + lookup;
+        }
+      }, true);
+    }
   },
 
   // [lookupData]
@@ -403,12 +381,36 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
   // On stack, after: data, ...
   //
   // Push the data lookup operator
-  lookupData: function(depth) {
+  lookupData: function(depth, parts) {
+    /*jshint -W083 */
     if (!depth) {
       this.pushStackLiteral('data');
     } else {
       this.pushStackLiteral('this.data(data, ' + depth + ')');
     }
+    if (!parts) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    var len = parts.length;
+    for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+      this.replaceStack(function(current) {
+        return ' && ' + this.nameLookup(current, parts[i], 'data');
+      }, true);
+    }
+  },
+
+  // [resolvePossibleLambda]
+  //
+  // On stack, before: value, ...
+  // On stack, after: resolved value, ...
+  //
+  // If the `value` is a lambda, replace it on the stack by
+  // the return value of the lambda
+  resolvePossibleLambda: function() {
+    this.aliases.lambda = 'this.lambda';
+
+    this.push('lambda(' + this.popStack() + ', depth0)');
   },
 
   // [pushStringParam]
@@ -579,7 +581,7 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
     var helper = this.setupHelper(0, name, helperCall);
 
     var helperName = this.lastHelper = this.nameLookup('helpers', name, 'helper');
-    var nonHelper = this.nameLookup('depth' + this.lastContext, name, 'context');
+    var nonHelper = '(depth' + this.lastContext + ' && ' + this.nameLookup('depth' + this.lastContext, name, 'context') + ')';
 
     this.push(
       '((helper = ' + helperName + ' || ' + nonHelper
@@ -739,7 +741,7 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
     return stack;
   },
 
-  replaceStack: function(callback) {
+  replaceStack: function(callback, chain) {
     var prefix = '',
         inline = this.isInline(),
         stack,
@@ -755,12 +757,16 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
         // Literals do not need to be inlined
         stack = top.value;
         usedLiteral = true;
+
+        if (chain) {
+          prefix = stack;
+        }
       } else {
         // Get or create the current stack name for use by the inline
         createdStack = !this.stackSlot;
         var name = !createdStack ? this.topStackName() : this.incrStack();
 
-        prefix = '(' + this.push(name) + ' = ' + top + '),';
+        prefix = '(' + this.push(name) + ' = ' + top + (chain ? ')' : '),');
         stack = this.topStack();
       }
     } else {
diff --git a/lib/handlebars/runtime.js b/lib/handlebars/runtime.js
index d43f465e3..b9fc77d7d 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/runtime.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/runtime.js
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ export function template(templateSpec, env) {
 
   // Just add water
   var container = {
+    lambda: function(current, context) {
+      return typeof current === 'function' ? current.call(context) : current;
+    },
+
     escapeExpression: Utils.escapeExpression,
     invokePartial: invokePartialWrapper,