diff --git a/src/jsoneditor/eson.js b/src/jsoneditor/eson.js
index fd722fb..7fb1fa7 100644
--- a/src/jsoneditor/eson.js
+++ b/src/jsoneditor/eson.js
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import isEqual from 'lodash/isEqual'
 import naturalSort from 'javascript-natural-sort'
 import times from 'lodash/times'
 import { immutableJSONPatch } from './immutableJSONPatch'
+import { compareArrays } from './utils/arrayUtils'
+import { compareStrings } from './utils/stringUtils'
 
 export const ID = typeof Symbol === 'function' ? Symbol('id') : '@jsoneditor-id'
 export const TYPE = typeof Symbol === 'function' ? Symbol('type') : '@jsoneditor-type' // 'object', 'array', 'value', or 'undefined'
@@ -247,6 +249,18 @@ export function search (eson, text) {
     return updatedValue
   })
 
+  matches.sort((a, b) => {
+    const arrayOrder = compareArrays(a.path, b.path)
+    if (arrayOrder !== 0) {
+      return arrayOrder
+    }
+
+    // order property first, value second.
+    // we can use regular string ordering here because the word
+    // "property" comes before "value"
+    return compareStrings(a.area, b.area)
+  })
+
   return {
     eson: updatedEson,
     searchResult: {
diff --git a/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.js b/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.js
index 6c16450..52434bb 100644
--- a/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.js
+++ b/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.js
@@ -44,3 +44,19 @@ export function strictShallowEqual (a, b) {
 
   return true
 }
+
+export function compareArrays(a, b) {
+  const minLength = Math.min(a.length, b.length)
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < minLength; i++) {
+    if (a[i] < b[i]) {
+      return -1
+    }
+
+    if (a[i] > b[i]) {
+      return 1
+    }
+  }
+
+  return a.length - b.length
+}
diff --git a/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.test.js b/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3181297
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/jsoneditor/utils/arrayUtils.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { compareArrays } from './arrayUtils'
+
+test('compareArrays', () => {
+  expect(compareArrays([], [])).toEqual(0)
+  expect(compareArrays(['a'], ['a'])).toEqual(0)
+  expect(compareArrays(['a'], ['b'])).toEqual(-1)
+  expect(compareArrays(['b'], ['a'])).toEqual(1)
+  expect(compareArrays(['a'], ['a', 'b'])).toEqual(-1)
+  expect(compareArrays(['a', 'b'], ['a'])).toEqual(1)
+  expect(compareArrays(['a', 'b'], ['a', 'b'])).toEqual(0)
+
+  const arrays = [
+    ['b', 'a'],
+    ['a'],
+    [],
+    ['b', 'c'],
+    ['b'],
+  ]
+
+  expect(arrays.sort(compareArrays)).toEqual([
+    [],
+    ['a'],
+    ['b'],
+    ['b', 'a'],
+    ['b', 'c']
+  ])
+})
diff --git a/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.js b/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.js
index c6c6386..c8f5476 100644
--- a/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.js
+++ b/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.js
@@ -123,3 +123,7 @@ export function toCapital(text) {
       ? text[0].toUpperCase() + text.substr(1).toLowerCase()
       : text
 }
+
+export function compareStrings (a, b) {
+  return (a < b) ? -1 : (a > b) ? 1 : 0
+}
diff --git a/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.test.js b/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.test.js
index 623a5e0..4ef0b05 100644
--- a/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.test.js
+++ b/src/jsoneditor/utils/stringUtils.test.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { escapeHTML, unescapeHTML, findUniqueName, toCapital } from './stringUtils'
+import { escapeHTML, unescapeHTML, findUniqueName, toCapital, compareStrings } from './stringUtils'
 
 test('escapeHTML', () => {
   expect(escapeHTML('   hello  ')).toEqual('\u00A0\u00A0 hello \u00A0')
@@ -31,3 +31,12 @@ test('toCapital', () => {
   expect(toCapital('')).toEqual('')
   expect(toCapital(undefined)).toEqual(undefined)
 })
+
+test('compareStrings', () => {
+  expect(compareStrings('a', 'b')).toEqual(-1)
+  expect(compareStrings('b', 'a')).toEqual(1)
+  expect(compareStrings('a', 'a')).toEqual(0)
+
+  const array = ['b', 'c', 'a']
+  expect(array.sort(compareStrings)).toEqual(['a', 'b', 'c'])
+})