Psalm 28/Notes/Lexical.v. 4.413593

• Deeds: "When applied to God, [פֹּעַל - deed] refers primarily to God’s acts in history, not his acts in creation. When applied to man [פֹּעַל - deed] often has a moral nuance, positively, Prov 21:8; negatively, Prov 21:6, for example."
• The noun practice (מַעֲלָל) usually refers to "bad practices of men."
• Work (מַעֲשֶׂה): "the focused expenditure of energy in order to do or accomplish a goal or task."
• According to BDB גְּמוּל may be glossed as "dealing," "recompense," or "benefit." In Ps 28: 4, the psalmist is invoking YHWH to repay the wicked their dealings (cf. Ps 94:2). We have rendered הָשֵׁ֖ב גְּמוּלָ֣ם as "repay their dealings." Following are a few examples of how modern translations have translated הָשֵׁ֖ב גְּמוּלָ֣ם: "give them their deserts;" "bring back on them what they deserve;" "render them their due reward;" "Give them a taste of what they have done to others;" "punish them."
• The verb glossed as to repay is the causative of the verb שׁוּב (Hiphil "to bring back"). It refers to the "process by which humans or deities cause (other) humans or deities to receive the appropriate return for their actions, which can be either good or bad -- to repay; to pay back; to punish; to reward." As Ross noted, "The verb changes from "give" (תֵּן) to "bring back" (הָשֵׁב from שׁוּב) because it will be a just recompense—their sins and the results of their sins will come back on them." The psalmist's prayer is a prayer for YHWH's fair judgment.