diff --git a/lib/jsdoc/util/markdown.js b/lib/jsdoc/util/markdown.js
index 766bffdd..3f1389b3 100644
--- a/lib/jsdoc/util/markdown.js
+++ b/lib/jsdoc/util/markdown.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ var logger = require('jsdoc/util/logger');
 var MarkdownIt = require('markdown-it');
 var marked = require('marked');
 var mdnh = require('markdown-it-named-headers');
+var path = require('jsdoc/path');
 var util = require('util');
 
 /**
@@ -137,6 +138,51 @@ function unencodeQuotes(source) {
     });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Get the appropriate function for applying syntax highlighting to text, based on the user's
+ * Markdown configuration settings.
+ *
+ * @param {Object} conf - The user's Markdown configuration settings.
+ * @return {function} The highlighter function.
+ */
+function getHighlighter(conf) {
+    var highlighter;
+    var highlighterPath;
+
+    switch (typeof conf.highlight) {
+        case 'string':
+            highlighterPath = path.getResourcePath(conf.highlight);
+
+            if (highlighterPath) {
+                highlighter = require(highlighterPath).highlight;
+
+                if (typeof highlighter !== 'function') {
+                    logger.error('The syntax highlighting module "%s" does not assign a method ' +
+                        'to exports.highlight. Using the default syntax highlighter.',
+                    conf.highlight);
+                    highlighter = highlight;
+                }
+            }
+            else {
+                logger.error('Unable to find the syntax highlighting module "%s". Using the ' +
+                    'default syntax highlighter.', conf.highlight);
+                highlighter = highlight;
+            }
+
+            break;
+
+        case 'function':
+            highlighter = conf.highlight;
+
+            break;
+
+        default:
+            highlighter = highlight;
+    }
+
+    return highlighter;
+}
+
 /**
  * Retrieve a function that accepts a single parameter containing Markdown source. The function uses
  * the specified parser to transform the Markdown source to HTML, then returns the HTML as a string.
@@ -148,10 +194,12 @@ function unencodeQuotes(source) {
  * returns the resulting HTML.
  */
 function getParseFunction(parserName, conf) {
+    var highlighter;
     var parserFunction;
     var renderer;
 
     conf = conf || {};
+    highlighter = getHighlighter(conf);
 
     switch (parserName) {
         case parserNames.marked:
@@ -168,7 +216,7 @@ function getParseFunction(parserName, conf) {
                 };
             }
 
-            renderer.code = highlight;
+            renderer.code = highlighter;
 
             parserFunction = function(source) {
                 var result;
@@ -192,7 +240,7 @@ function getParseFunction(parserName, conf) {
         case parserNames.markdownit:
             renderer = new MarkdownIt({
                 breaks: Boolean(conf.hardwrap),
-                highlight: highlight,
+                highlight: highlighter,
                 html: true
             });
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/markdown/badhighlighter.js b/test/fixtures/markdown/badhighlighter.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d734b9b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/markdown/badhighlighter.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+'use strict';
+
+exports.highlight = 'Not a real highlighter';
diff --git a/test/fixtures/markdown/highlighter.js b/test/fixtures/markdown/highlighter.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..637361c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/markdown/highlighter.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+exports.highlight = function(code, language) {
+    return '<pre><code>' + code + ' in this language: ' + language + '</code></pre>';
+};
diff --git a/test/specs/jsdoc/util/markdown.js b/test/specs/jsdoc/util/markdown.js
index 9ee116de..a3739dc7 100644
--- a/test/specs/jsdoc/util/markdown.js
+++ b/test/specs/jsdoc/util/markdown.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 describe('jsdoc/util/markdown', function() {
     var env = require('jsdoc/env');
+    var logger = require('jsdoc/util/logger');
     var markdown = require('jsdoc/util/markdown');
 
     it('should exist', function() {
@@ -66,11 +67,10 @@ describe('jsdoc/util/markdown', function() {
         });
 
         it('should log an error if an unrecognized Markdown parser is requested', function() {
-            var logger = require('jsdoc/util/logger');
-
             setMarkdownConf({parser: 'not-a-real-markdown-parser'});
             spyOn(logger, 'error');
             markdown.getParser();
+
             expect(logger.error).toHaveBeenCalled();
         });
 
@@ -131,5 +131,53 @@ describe('jsdoc/util/markdown', function() {
 
             expect(parser(markdownText)).toBe(convertedText);
         });
+
+        describe('syntax highlighter', function() {
+            it('should support a `highlight` function defined in the config file', function() {
+                var parser;
+
+                setMarkdownConf({
+                    highlight: function(code, language) {
+                        return '<pre><code>' + code + ' highlighted as ' + language +
+                            '</code></pre>';
+                    }
+                });
+                parser = markdown.getParser();
+
+                expect(parser('```js\nhello\n```')).toBe(
+                    '<pre><code>hello\n highlighted as js</code></pre>'
+                );
+            });
+
+            it('should support `highlight` as the path to a highlighter module', function() {
+                var parser;
+
+                setMarkdownConf({ highlight: 'test/fixtures/markdown/highlighter' });
+                parser = markdown.getParser();
+
+                expect(parser('```js\nhello\n```')).toBe(
+                    '<pre><code>hello\n in this language: js</code></pre>'
+                );
+            });
+
+            it('should log an error if the `highlight` module cannot be found', function() {
+                spyOn(logger, 'error');
+
+                setMarkdownConf({ highlight: 'foo/bar/baz' });
+                markdown.getParser();
+
+                expect(logger.error).toHaveBeenCalled();
+            });
+
+            it('should log an error if the `highlight` module does not assign a method to ' +
+                '`exports.highlight`', function() {
+                spyOn(logger, 'error');
+
+                setMarkdownConf({ highlight: 'test/fixtures/markdown/badhighlighter' });
+                markdown.getParser();
+
+                expect(logger.error).toHaveBeenCalled();
+            });
+        });
     });
 });