diff --git a/lib/internal/errors.js b/lib/internal/errors.js
index 5a3aaa04e97a09..6a52d55bb84247 100644
--- a/lib/internal/errors.js
+++ b/lib/internal/errors.js
@@ -270,12 +270,14 @@ class AssertionError extends Error {
     if (message != null) {
       super(message);
     } else {
-      const util = lazyUtil();
-      if (process.stdout.isTTY && process.stdout.getColorDepth() !== 1) {
+      if (util_ === null &&
+          process.stdout.isTTY &&
+          process.stdout.getColorDepth() !== 1) {
         green = '\u001b[32m';
         white = '\u001b[39m';
         red = '\u001b[31m';
       }
+      const util = lazyUtil();
 
       if (actual && actual.stack && actual instanceof Error)
         actual = `${actual.name}: ${actual.message}`;
diff --git a/lib/internal/module.js b/lib/internal/module.js
index d2140411552429..c3dede40fa3b87 100644
--- a/lib/internal/module.js
+++ b/lib/internal/module.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
+const errors = require('internal/errors');
+
 // Invoke with makeRequireFunction(module) where |module| is the Module object
 // to use as the context for the require() function.
 function makeRequireFunction(mod) {
@@ -15,12 +17,20 @@ function makeRequireFunction(mod) {
   }
 
   function resolve(request, options) {
+    if (typeof request !== 'string') {
+      throw new errors.Error('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+                             'request', 'string', request);
+    }
     return Module._resolveFilename(request, mod, false, options);
   }
 
   require.resolve = resolve;
 
   function paths(request) {
+    if (typeof request !== 'string') {
+      throw new errors.Error('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+                             'request', 'string', request);
+    }
     return Module._resolveLookupPaths(request, mod, true);
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/module.js b/lib/module.js
index 4a8480ed1be3af..5ee537f157289b 100644
--- a/lib/module.js
+++ b/lib/module.js
@@ -603,10 +603,15 @@ Module.prototype.load = function(filename) {
 
 // Loads a module at the given file path. Returns that module's
 // `exports` property.
-Module.prototype.require = function(path) {
-  assert(path, 'missing path');
-  assert(typeof path === 'string', 'path must be a string');
-  return Module._load(path, this, /* isMain */ false);
+Module.prototype.require = function(id) {
+  if (typeof id !== 'string') {
+    throw new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', 'id', 'string', id);
+  }
+  if (id === '') {
+    throw new errors.Error('ERR_INVALID_ARG_VALUE',
+                           'id', id, 'must be a non-empty string');
+  }
+  return Module._load(id, this, /* isMain */ false);
 };
 
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-module-loading-error.js b/test/parallel/test-module-loading-error.js
index f1c457af2b2c9e..818a35eb582211 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-module-loading-error.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-module-loading-error.js
@@ -59,16 +59,22 @@ assert.throws(
   }
 );
 
-common.expectsError(
-  require,
-  {
-    code: 'ERR_ASSERTION',
-    message: /^missing path$/
-  });
+const re = /^The "id" argument must be of type string\. Received type \w+$/;
+[1, false, null, undefined, {}].forEach((value) => {
+  common.expectsError(
+    () => { require(value); },
+    {
+      type: TypeError,
+      code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+      message: re
+    });
+});
+
 
 common.expectsError(
-  () => { require({}); },
+  () => { require(''); },
   {
-    code: 'ERR_ASSERTION',
-    message: /^path must be a string$/
+    type: Error,
+    code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_VALUE',
+    message: 'The argument \'id\' must be a non-empty string. Received \'\''
   });
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-require-resolve.js b/test/parallel/test-require-resolve.js
index 4fbf697faf51b6..2916f3709e3b15 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-require-resolve.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-require-resolve.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
 'use strict';
-require('../common');
+const common = require('../common');
 const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
 const assert = require('assert');
 
@@ -38,3 +38,20 @@ assert.strictEqual('path', require.resolve('path'));
 // Test configurable resolve() paths.
 require(fixtures.path('require-resolve.js'));
 require(fixtures.path('resolve-paths', 'default', 'verify-paths.js'));
+
+const re = /^The "request" argument must be of type string\. Received type \w+$/;
+[1, false, null, undefined, {}].forEach((value) => {
+  common.expectsError(
+    () => { require.resolve(value); },
+    {
+      code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+      message: re
+    });
+
+  common.expectsError(
+    () => { require.resolve.paths(value); },
+    {
+      code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+      message: re
+    });
+});
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js b/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js
index d790850951b064..f0fa933a8ba2b2 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js
+++ b/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js
@@ -297,17 +297,6 @@ try {
 }
 
 
-// require() must take string, and must be truthy
-assert.throws(function() {
-  console.error('require non-string');
-  require({ foo: 'bar' });
-}, /path must be a string/);
-
-assert.throws(function() {
-  console.error('require empty string');
-  require('');
-}, /missing path/);
-
 process.on('exit', function() {
   assert.ok(a.A instanceof Function);
   assert.strictEqual(a.A(), 'A done');