This verse is part of the narrative in Daniel chapter 2 where King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon demands that his wise men both tell him his forgotten dream and interpret it. The wise men are desperately trying to buy themselves time and avoid execution.

Here's a breakdown of the verse's meaning:

"They answered the second time...": The wise men had already made a similar request. This indicates they are repeating their plea, likely becoming more insistent.

"...and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream...": This is the core of their argument. They are saying, "Your Majesty, tell us the dream you had."

"...and we will show the interpretation.”": This is the crucial part where they pledge their ability to interpret, but only if they know the dream. They are implicitly admitting they cannot truly divine the meaning of a dream they don't know. Their skills lie in interpreting known information, not in magically accessing the king's mind.

In essence, the verse reveals:

The impossible demand: King Nebuchadnezzar's demand is not just to interpret a dream, but to first reconstruct it from the depths of his memory. This sets up an impossible task for anyone using human wisdom alone.
The wise men's limitations: They are acknowledging their limitations. They can interpret, but they can't perform mind-reading or magic.
Their delaying tactic: They hope that by getting the dream, they can concoct some plausible interpretation to appease the king, or at least buy more time.
The setup for Daniel's revelation: The situation highlights the need for divine intervention. Only God can reveal the dream, which is precisely what happens through Daniel.

The verse is pivotal because it emphasizes the human inability to meet the king's impossible request, paving the way for God's intervention and the demonstration of His power through Daniel.