"But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation."
In isolation this verse makes sense enough. We need to do what we say, and it should be such a consistent practice that we have no need for intense vows. We should not be quick to promise things, but we should be quick to do what we say. If we make a pledge and fail to keep it, the consequences will be severe. It would be better not to pledge at all than to pledge and fail to follow through on our word.
The quandary here though is "what does this have to do with patience in suffering?" Perhaps one would make an oath denying the false statements that others made about him. It's understandable how a person would want to use strong language to clear his name. I suppose that it would be better to just live in a way that people believe you when you say "yes, that's true," or "no, that is not the case."
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