In the Psalms we must distinguish collective memory from individual memory. Generally the lament psalms of the individual do not share in the corporate traditions, such as those related to divine kingship or “salvation history.” Instead, they appeal to “my God,” that is, the personal guardian deity who is expected to answer when called upon. Their vows of praise and the subsequent expression of that praise in the individual thanksgivings endeavor to memorialize God's rescue on behalf of individuals. Not until the exile are Israel's collective memories incorporated into psalms of the individual. Some of Israel"s most ancient memories, such as those of Shaddai and Elyon, have been conserved in corporate poetry. The corporate memories of pre-exilic psalmody include both historical deliverances and mythological symbols, such as the kingship of the God of the skies and the inviolable sacred space of Zion. We might expect a lack of memory to correlate with lament and a rich memory with praise, but the corporate lament psalms are actually structured upon memory, because it is the memories of God"s earlier deliverances and promises that engender high expectations for the present. In the postexilic psalms the historical, collective memories predominate, where they conform to the pentateuchal pattern. And the nature of Yhwh"s rule is reshaped from cosmic kingship over chaotic forces to political kingship over Israel and the nations. Finally, we shall observe how psalmic poetry tends to “typify” historical memories by omitting particulars and by foregrounding God"s activity, even to the point of ascribing to God"s intervention events that are simply narrated in the Pentateuch as an incidental chain of events. By means of these shifts the praise of God is heightened and the collective memories become ready paradigms for worshipers to interpret their own individual and collective experiences of God.