Well, there is XPath 3.1 if you want standards[1] but my point was simply that it depends on whether your question is “I need compatibility with existing jq scripts”, “I need an embeddable library I can integrate in other programs”, or “I want to process JSON for my own usage”.

For example, someone who works with a lot of Python might prefer something like https://github.com/kellyjonbrazil/jello to write comprehensions using the full capabilities of Python, especially since that would provide a direct path to using the final expressions in a Python program or even embedded in one of the environments where Python is used as a scripting language. Is that a viable alternative? The answer depends entirely on who's asking.

1. https://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-31/#id-introduction