diff --git a/modules/ui/entity_highlight.js b/modules/ui/entity_highlight.js
deleted file mode 100644
index cc92a0250..000000000
--- a/modules/ui/entity_highlight.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-import _forEach from 'lodash-es/forEach';
-
-export function highlightEntity(context, entity, highlighted) {
-
-    var selectorPrefix = entity.type === 'node' ? 'g.' : 'path.';
-    // set the class for the SVG to add or remove the highlighted styling
-    context.surface().selectAll(selectorPrefix+entity.id).classed('highlighted', highlighted);
-    if (entity.members) {
-        // recursively highlight members so that relations will appear highlighted
-        _forEach(entity.members, function(member){
-            if (member.id && context.hasEntity(member.id)) {
-                highlightEntity(context, context.entity(member.id), highlighted);
-            }
-        });
-    }
-
-}
diff --git a/modules/ui/raw_member_editor.js b/modules/ui/raw_member_editor.js
index a2a70be89..0d1080dca 100644
--- a/modules/ui/raw_member_editor.js
+++ b/modules/ui/raw_member_editor.js
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import { d3combobox as d3_combobox } from '../lib/d3.combobox.js';
 
 import { t } from '../util/locale';
 import { actionChangeMember, actionDeleteMember } from '../actions';
-import { highlightEntity } from './entity_highlight';
 import { modeBrowse, modeSelect } from '../modes';
 import { osmEntity } from '../osm';
 import { svgIcon } from '../svg';
@@ -16,7 +15,8 @@ import { uiDisclosure } from './disclosure';
 import {
     utilDisplayName,
     utilDisplayType,
-    utilNoAuto
+    utilNoAuto,
+    utilHighlightEntity
 } from '../util';
 
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export function uiRawMemberEditor(context) {
         context.map().zoomTo(entity);
 
         // highlight the feature in case it wasn't previously on-screen
-        highlightEntity(context, d.member, true);
+        utilHighlightEntity(d.id, true, context);
     }
 
 
@@ -136,10 +136,10 @@ export function uiRawMemberEditor(context) {
 
                         // highlight the member feature in the map while hovering on the list item
                         d3_select(this).on('mouseover', function() {
-                            highlightEntity(context, d.member, true);
+                            utilHighlightEntity(d.id, true, context);
                         });
                         d3_select(this).on('mouseout', function() {
-                            highlightEntity(context, d.member, false);
+                            utilHighlightEntity(d.id, false, context);
                         });
 
                         var label = d3_select(this).append('label')
diff --git a/modules/ui/raw_membership_editor.js b/modules/ui/raw_membership_editor.js
index a63c9e668..f856cd7ab 100644
--- a/modules/ui/raw_membership_editor.js
+++ b/modules/ui/raw_membership_editor.js
@@ -19,13 +19,12 @@ import {
     actionDeleteMember
 } from '../actions';
 
-import { highlightEntity } from './entity_highlight';
 import { modeSelect } from '../modes';
 import { osmEntity, osmRelation } from '../osm';
 import { services } from '../services';
 import { svgIcon } from '../svg';
 import { uiDisclosure } from './disclosure';
-import { utilDisplayName, utilNoAuto } from '../util';
+import { utilDisplayName, utilNoAuto, utilHighlightEntity } from '../util';
 
 
 export function uiRawMembershipEditor(context) {
@@ -177,10 +176,10 @@ export function uiRawMembershipEditor(context) {
             enter.each(function(d){
                 // highlight the relation in the map while hovering on the list item
                 d3_select(this).on('mouseover', function() {
-                    highlightEntity(context, d.relation, true);
+                    utilHighlightEntity(d.relation.id, true, context);
                 });
                 d3_select(this).on('mouseout', function() {
-                    highlightEntity(context, d.relation, false);
+                    utilHighlightEntity(d.relation.id, false, context);
                 });
             });
 
diff --git a/modules/ui/selection_list.js b/modules/ui/selection_list.js
index 0e12a66a6..f7f3a3ee7 100644
--- a/modules/ui/selection_list.js
+++ b/modules/ui/selection_list.js
@@ -4,11 +4,10 @@ import {
 } from 'd3-selection';
 
 import { t } from '../util/locale';
-import { highlightEntity } from './entity_highlight';
 import { modeSelect } from '../modes';
 import { osmEntity } from '../osm';
 import { svgIcon } from '../svg';
-import { utilDisplayName } from '../util';
+import { utilDisplayName, utilHighlightEntity } from '../util';
 
 
 export function uiSelectionList(context, selectedIDs) {
@@ -72,10 +71,10 @@ export function uiSelectionList(context, selectedIDs) {
                 .each(function(d) {
                 // highlight the feature in the map while hovering on the list item
                 d3_select(this).on('mouseover', function() {
-                    highlightEntity(context, d, true);
+                    utilHighlightEntity(d.id, true, context);
                 });
                 d3_select(this).on('mouseout', function() {
-                    highlightEntity(context, d, false);
+                    utilHighlightEntity(d.id, false, context);
                 });
             });
 
diff --git a/modules/util/index.js b/modules/util/index.js
index 16460cd14..a0269240f 100644
--- a/modules/util/index.js
+++ b/modules/util/index.js
@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@ export { utilDisplayType } from './util';
 export { utilEditDistance } from './util';
 export { utilEntitySelector } from './util';
 export { utilEntityOrMemberSelector } from './util';
+export { utilEntityOrDeepMemberSelector } from './util';
 export { utilFastMouse } from './util';
 export { utilFunctor } from './util';
 export { utilGetAllNodes } from './util';
 export { utilGetPrototypeOf } from './util';
 export { utilGetSetValue } from './get_set_value';
 export { utilHashcode } from './util';
+export { utilHighlightEntity } from './util';
 export { utilIdleWorker } from './idle_worker';
 export { utilNoAuto } from './util';
 export { utilPrefixCSSProperty } from './util';
diff --git a/modules/util/util.js b/modules/util/util.js
index 6b03c9f4c..5eb821ced 100644
--- a/modules/util/util.js
+++ b/modules/util/util.js
@@ -34,6 +34,32 @@ export function utilEntityOrMemberSelector(ids, graph) {
 }
 
 
+export function utilEntityOrDeepMemberSelector(ids, graph) {
+    var seen = {};
+    var allIDs = [];
+    function addEntityAndMembersIfNotYetSeen(id) {
+        // avoid infinite recursion for circular relations by skipping seen entities
+        if (seen[id]) return;
+        // mark the entity as seen
+        seen[id] = true;
+        // add the id;
+        allIDs.push(id);
+        if (graph.hasEntity(id)) {
+            var entity = graph.entity(id);
+            if (entity.type === 'relation' && entity.members) {
+                entity.members.forEach(function(member){
+                    addEntityAndMembersIfNotYetSeen(member.id);
+                });
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    ids.forEach(function(id) {
+        addEntityAndMembersIfNotYetSeen(id);
+    });
+    return utilEntitySelector(allIDs);
+}
+
+
 export function utilGetAllNodes(ids, graph) {
     var seen = {};
     var nodes = [];
@@ -282,3 +308,10 @@ export function utilHashcode(str) {
     }
     return hash;
 }
+
+// Adds or removes highlight styling for the specified entity's SVG elements in the map.
+export function utilHighlightEntity(id, highlighted, context) {
+    context.surface()
+        .selectAll(utilEntityOrDeepMemberSelector([id], context.graph()))
+        .classed('highlighted', highlighted);
+}