diff --git a/internal/ref/ref.go b/internal/ref/ref.go
index 9590b8886b..f006883fdc 100644
--- a/internal/ref/ref.go
+++ b/internal/ref/ref.go
@@ -23,14 +23,3 @@ func ParseDataPath(s string) (ast.Ref, error) {
 
 	return path.Ref(ast.DefaultRootDocument), nil
 }
-
-// ArrayPath will take an ast.Array and build an ast.Ref using the ast.Terms in the Array
-func ArrayPath(a *ast.Array) ast.Ref {
-	ref := make(ast.Ref, 0, a.Len())
-
-	a.Foreach(func(term *ast.Term) {
-		ref = append(ref, term)
-	})
-
-	return ref
-}
diff --git a/v1/topdown/builtins/builtins.go b/v1/topdown/builtins/builtins.go
index c81b772484..0f02021f24 100644
--- a/v1/topdown/builtins/builtins.go
+++ b/v1/topdown/builtins/builtins.go
@@ -127,7 +127,6 @@ func NewOperandErr(pos int, f string, a ...any) error {
 
 // NewOperandTypeErr returns an operand error indicating the operand's type was wrong.
 func NewOperandTypeErr(pos int, got ast.Value, expected ...string) error {
-
 	if len(expected) == 1 {
 		return NewOperandErr(pos, "must be %v but got %v", expected[0], ast.ValueName(got))
 	}
@@ -138,7 +137,6 @@ func NewOperandTypeErr(pos int, got ast.Value, expected ...string) error {
 // NewOperandElementErr returns an operand error indicating an element in the
 // composite operand was wrong.
 func NewOperandElementErr(pos int, composite ast.Value, got ast.Value, expected ...string) error {
-
 	tpe := ast.ValueName(composite)
 
 	if len(expected) == 1 {
@@ -150,7 +148,6 @@ func NewOperandElementErr(pos int, composite ast.Value, got ast.Value, expected
 
 // NewOperandEnumErr returns an operand error indicating a value was wrong.
 func NewOperandEnumErr(pos int, expected ...string) error {
-
 	if len(expected) == 1 {
 		return NewOperandErr(pos, "must be %v", expected[0])
 	}
@@ -192,30 +189,27 @@ func BigIntOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (*big.Int, error) {
 // NumberOperand converts x to a number. If the cast fails, a descriptive error is
 // returned.
 func NumberOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (ast.Number, error) {
-	n, ok := x.(ast.Number)
-	if !ok {
-		return ast.Number(""), NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "number")
+	if n, ok := x.(ast.Number); ok {
+		return n, nil
 	}
-	return n, nil
+	return ast.Number(""), NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "number")
 }
 
 // SetOperand converts x to a set. If the cast fails, a descriptive error is
 // returned.
 func SetOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (ast.Set, error) {
-	s, ok := x.(ast.Set)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "set")
+	if s, ok := x.(ast.Set); ok {
+		return s, nil
 	}
-	return s, nil
+	return nil, NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "set")
 }
 
 // StringOperand returns x as [ast.String], or a descriptive error if the conversion fails.
 func StringOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (ast.String, error) {
-	s, ok := x.(ast.String)
-	if !ok {
-		return ast.String(""), NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "string")
+	if s, ok := x.(ast.String); ok {
+		return s, nil
 	}
-	return s, nil
+	return ast.String(""), NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "string")
 }
 
 // StringOperandByteSlice returns x a []byte, assuming x is [ast.String], or a descriptive error
@@ -229,24 +223,22 @@ func StringOperandByteSlice(x ast.Value, pos int) ([]byte, error) {
 	return util.StringToByteSlice(string(s)), nil
 }
 
-// ObjectOperand converts x to an object. If the cast fails, a descriptive
+// ObjectOperand converts x to an object. If the conversion fails, a descriptive
 // error is returned.
-func ObjectOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (ast.Object, error) {
-	o, ok := x.(ast.Object)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "object")
+func ObjectOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (o ast.Object, err error) {
+	if o, ok := x.(ast.Object); ok {
+		return o, nil
 	}
-	return o, nil
+	return nil, NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "object")
 }
 
-// ArrayOperand converts x to an array. If the cast fails, a descriptive
+// ArrayOperand converts x to an array. If the conversion fails, a descriptive
 // error is returned.
 func ArrayOperand(x ast.Value, pos int) (*ast.Array, error) {
-	a, ok := x.(*ast.Array)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "array")
+	if a, ok := x.(*ast.Array); ok {
+		return a, nil
 	}
-	return a, nil
+	return nil, NewOperandTypeErr(pos, x, "array")
 }
 
 // NumberToFloat converts n to a big float.
diff --git a/v1/topdown/object.go b/v1/topdown/object.go
index fe5ccf093f..c2884e9c78 100644
--- a/v1/topdown/object.go
+++ b/v1/topdown/object.go
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 package topdown
 
 import (
-	"github.com/open-policy-agent/opa/internal/ref"
+	"cmp"
+
 	"github.com/open-policy-agent/opa/v1/ast"
 	"github.com/open-policy-agent/opa/v1/topdown/builtins"
 )
@@ -24,10 +25,7 @@ func builtinObjectUnion(_ BuiltinContext, operands []*ast.Term, iter func(*ast.T
 	if objA.Len() == 0 {
 		return iter(operands[1])
 	}
-	if objB.Len() == 0 {
-		return iter(operands[0])
-	}
-	if objA.Compare(objB) == 0 {
+	if objB.Len() == 0 || objA.Compare(objB) == 0 {
 		return iter(operands[0])
 	}
 
@@ -126,34 +124,27 @@ func builtinObjectFilter(_ BuiltinContext, operands []*ast.Term, iter func(*ast.
 }
 
 func builtinObjectGet(_ BuiltinContext, operands []*ast.Term, iter func(*ast.Term) error) error {
-	object, err := builtins.ObjectOperand(operands[0].Value, 1)
+	// silly micro optimization: initial ref to last item avoids
+	// later bounds checks as 1 and 0 then known to be valid indices
+	defaultValue, path, curr := operands[2], operands[1], operands[0]
+
+	object, err := builtins.ObjectOperand(curr.Value, 1)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// if the get key is not an array, attempt to get the top level key for the operand value in the object
-	path, ok := operands[1].Value.(*ast.Array)
+	arr, ok := path.Value.(*ast.Array)
 	if !ok {
-		if ret := object.Get(operands[1]); ret != nil {
-			return iter(ret)
+		return iter(cmp.Or(object.Get(path), defaultValue))
+	}
+
+	for i := range arr.Len() {
+		if curr = curr.Get(arr.Elem(i)); curr == nil {
+			break
 		}
-
-		return iter(operands[2])
 	}
 
-	// if the path is empty, then we skip selecting nested keys and return the whole object
-	if path.Len() == 0 {
-		return iter(operands[0])
-	}
-
-	// build an ast.Ref from the array and see if it matches within the object
-	pathRef := ref.ArrayPath(path)
-	value, err := object.Find(pathRef)
-	if err != nil {
-		return iter(operands[2])
-	}
-
-	return iter(ast.NewTerm(value))
+	return iter(cmp.Or(curr, defaultValue))
 }
 
 func builtinObjectKeys(_ BuiltinContext, operands []*ast.Term, iter func(*ast.Term) error) error {
diff --git a/v1/topdown/object_bench_test.go b/v1/topdown/object_bench_test.go
index fe8f5aea34..9e549e1190 100644
--- a/v1/topdown/object_bench_test.go
+++ b/v1/topdown/object_bench_test.go
@@ -107,3 +107,39 @@ func BenchmarkObjectUnionNSlow(b *testing.B) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// 72.64 ns/op	      56 B/op	       2 allocs/op
+// 45.49 ns/op	       0 B/op	       0 allocs/op
+func BenchmarkObjectGetFound(b *testing.B) {
+	obj := ast.MustParseTerm(`{"a": {"b": {"c": {"d": 1}}}}`)
+	arr := ast.ArrayTerm(ast.InternedTerm("a"), ast.InternedTerm("b"), ast.InternedTerm("c"), ast.InternedTerm("d"))
+	def := ast.NullTerm()
+
+	ops := []*ast.Term{obj, arr, def}
+	exp := eqIter(ast.InternedTerm(1))
+	bcx := BuiltinContext{}
+
+	for b.Loop() {
+		if err := builtinObjectGet(bcx, ops, exp); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// 48.15 ns/op	      32 B/op	       1 allocs/op
+// 36.74 ns/op	       0 B/op	       0 allocs/op
+func BenchmarkObjectGetNotFound(b *testing.B) {
+	obj := ast.MustParseTerm(`{"a": {"b": {"c": {"d": 1}}}}`)
+	arr := ast.ArrayTerm(ast.InternedTerm("a"), ast.InternedTerm("b"), ast.InternedTerm("c"), ast.InternedTerm("e"))
+	def := ast.NullTerm()
+
+	ops := []*ast.Term{obj, arr, def}
+	exp := eqIter(def)
+	bcx := BuiltinContext{}
+
+	for b.Loop() {
+		if err := builtinObjectGet(bcx, ops, exp); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+}