The antecedent for this verse is the “young and tender branches” (v. 8). In the allegory, branches are planted in other locations where the gardener hopes they will become independent trees.
Botany: One of the interesting aspects of the allegory from a naturalistic viewpoint is planting these branches. Wilfred Hess and his associates note:
The olive is one of the few fruit trees that can be propagated by taking a branch of a tree and burying it in the ground. This is apparently what Zenos had in mind when he indicates that the Lord of the vineyard took branches and “planted” them, saying that the natural branches were “hid” in the ground (Jacob 5:14). Hillhouse states that the olive is extremely tenacious. When the trunk has perished by frost or by fire it forms new sprouts. If a bit of the bark, with a thin layer of wood, is buried in the earth, it becomes a perfect plant. All of the branches and even the trunk can be removed and the tree may still live.… Olive shoots can be cut off, placed in soil, and indeed they will root.
Symbolism: The young and tender branches had the ability to grow in response to the less drastic original measures of the master of the vineyard. They represent those who heard and headed the words of the prophets. The history of Israel has many examples of divisions in how the people understood the Israelite religion, a diversity that has become clearer with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and scholarly attempts to reconstruct the life and beliefs of the people who preserved them. That community, the Lehites, and the Jaredites are examples of “called out” people.
In this part of the allegory, some of these groups are “called out” of Israel and sent into the world. The master tells the servant that their location reflects his will but “it mattereth not unto thee.” In other words, there may be others of whom we are not aware. Because we know about three groups (the Lehites, Jaredites, and the Qumran community), it is not difficult to imagine that such departures may have occurred at multiple times and in multiple locations. We will see as the allegory develops that we are certainly missing historical references to at least some of the “young and tender” branches.