Commentary Purg XXIV 151-154

Dante now 'finishes' the Beatitude (Matthew 5:6) begun in [Purg XXII 4-6], 'Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt iustitiam, quoniam ipsi saturabuntur' (Blessèd are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied).  In the first context, applying to those who 'thirst' for riches, only sitiunt was heard, while here we have the echo only of the word for hunger, esuriunt.