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Jesus says in Mtt 5:6( NKJV):

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Of course, Jesus is using the terms 'Hunger' and 'Thirst' as metaphors for one's attitudes towards righteousness. As for their purely physical characteristics, they differ in so far as prompters, symptoms and remedies are concerned. Hunger and thirst are not just inborn; they are learned and emerge through development. Both can be triggered by internal deficiencies or external, psychological factors. Hunger is prompted by physical sensations (e.g., stomach contractions) but heavily influenced by external cues like the sight, smell, and taste of food. Thirst, from its side, is a more immediate, stable, and intense sensation than hunger, driven by osmoreceptors detecting fluid concentration( Courtesy: Google AI Overview).

Jesus went without food for forty days before his temptation( Lk 4:1-2), but would have definitely drunk water to satiate his thirst , failing which he would have died. On the Cross he expresses thirst(Jn 19:28),which many regard as the Lord's metaphorical thirst for the salvation of souls.

That said, would'nt either hunger or thirst in the form of a metaphor serve the purpose of picturising a passionate desire for righteousness ? No other Blessing of Beatitudes uses double metaphors. Why does Jesus apply both in Mtt 5:6 ? How do scholars explain the exemption ?

PS:BHSE question What is the spiritual difference between hungering and thirsting? (Matthew 5:6) does help. My question is on the need or otherwise of using both the metaphors for the same attribute. Hence, different.

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Generally, we choose how to fulfill our physical hunger and thirst, but we do not choose how to fulfill our need to breathe. The Lord provides proper physical nourishment for us to choose from (food and drink), yet He automatically takes care of our breathing mechanisms. All three of these needs (hunger, thirst and breath) also have spiritual applications in Scripture. It is regarding the realm of the two spiritual sustenances of our own choosing (hunger and thirst) that this question by the OP arises. Are we fulfilling both our hunger and thirst with Righteousness?

Hunger and thirst are both satisfied through meals. The Passover comes to mind, especially the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples where He introduced the concept of remembering Him through that type of close communion. Unfortunately, this has become a ritual of factory wafers and mysticism. That was not His intent.

He says in Revelation 3:20:

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

This invitation to sup, to partake in the spiritual meal of redemption through the Bread of Life and the Living Water, refers back to the beatitude and challenges us to consider whether we are hungering and thirsting for Righteousness (or for someone or something else.)

...this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jeremiah 23:6

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The clue might be found in what it is that blesses this person who is hungering and thirsting. It is the righteousness of God. A little further on in the Beatitudes, Jesus said:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 A.V.

Jesus begins with pointing to a hunger and a thirst that will lead to blessedness because it is seeking after righteousness, and near the end of the Beatitudes he confirms that those who seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness will be satisfied. Their hunger shall be satisfied, and their thirst assuaged. Longing for that, as opposed to one’s own supposed righteousness, will become so important to the seeker, they will place it as more important than physical, literal food and water (as Jesus demonstrated in his own earthly life.)

This hunger is an emptiness that only feeding of the soul on the word of life will fill. Jesus said that we live, not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Thirst is more urgent: an absolute and immediate necessity (for one can live far longer without food than without water). This has to do with the Spirit. Both are necessary, but both in due time: one immediate and overwhelming – the water of life; and the other a steady supply to assimilate and thereby grow. Food gives strength, but water is life. Drinking from the wells of salvation must come first. A modern praise song begins, “As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after you. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.” This is based on Psalm 42:1-2.

“Jehovah is my strength and my song: he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out from the wells of salvation” Isaiah 12:2-3 A.V.

“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, ‘Give me to drink’, thou wouldn’t have asked of him, and he wouldest have given thee living water.” John 4:10 A.V.

Then God gives a new heart, and a new spirit, and one begins to feed on the word of life. But until there has been receiving of spiritual life from the God of our salvation, there can be no appetite for his kingdom, or his righteousness. The water of life brings new life and a new appetite. Sanctification is associated with the Spirit and the springing-up of water. Satisfaction for the soul can only come from the means God provides, and spiritual growth can only come from putting God’s kingdom and his righteousness first in our new-born lives.

The water of life alone can assuage spiritual ‘thirst’, and feeding on the bread of life alone can cause spiritual growth. This is why both needs must be met by having the God of our salvation make us aware of both thirst and hunger, as Jesus said in Matthew 5:6 and 6:33.

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