.
In contrast to this idea of compassion, Ginzberg discusses the event of the brook running dry in completely different light. Here, the drought is a conscious act of God to pressure Elijah to release God from the binding of his promise. Ginzberg is offering an explanation for the Bible's limited but straightforward account of the brook running dry from a simple lack of rain. As this did not induce Elijah to release God from his promise, God was forced to take further measures. According to Ginzberg, God's next test was the death of the son of the widow with whom the prophet was staying. .
Story Three - The Death of the Widow's Son.
In The Bible, God instructs Elijah to go to the widow's house in Zarephath. Here, he shares the limited resources of the humble household. God replenishes the meager amount of food and basic necessities, to allow the three inhabitants (Elijah, the widow and the widow's son) to survive. As a result, the widow's faith in God grows. Eventually, the widow's son becomes sick and dies. Consequentially, the widow is angered with the prophet and asks him "did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause me son's death? (1 Kings 17:18)". Elijah, grief-stricken, responds with prayer over the body of the dead child and God brings the boy back to life. The woman is then convinced that her guest is truly a man of God. .
Ginzberg sheds a different light upon these events. The author emphasizes God's role and claims that the death of the boy is another effort on God's part to convince Elijah to release him from his previous promise. In his description of the event, Ginzberg explains that " now God had the prophet in His power. He could give heed unto Elijah's prayer only provided the prophet released Him from the promise about a drought, for resuscitation from death is brought about by means of dew (197)." This account shows a manipulative God, which is an ever-present theme in Ginzberg's version of the events recorded in the Bible.
